Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Samantha Oblander | PHILIPPINE SEA (May 31, 2022) Master-at-Arms 1st Class Marcus Dinkins, from Macon,...... read more read more
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A Macon, Georgia native and 2014 graduate of Ashford University is serving aboard Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG 105) while conducting operations in the Philippine Sea.
Petty Officer 1st Class Marcus Dinkins is a Master-at-Arms, also known as MAs, serving aboard USS Dewey, which is forward-deployed to Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan.
“I joined the Navy a few months after I graduated from Southwest High school because I wanted to do something other than go straight to college,” said Dinkins. “My dad and I had a long talk in our kitchen after an incident happened where I could have gotten seriously hurt. The next day, I went to the recruiter station in the Macon Mall to learn about the different branches of service. The Navy won.”
While many Sailors come into the Navy knowing what their job is going to be, others don’t come in with designated jobs. This gives undesignated Sailors the opportunity to learn about the different jobs from the people actually doing them and decide which rate is the best fit for them.
“I left bootcamp as an undesignated Airman headed to Travis Air Force Base in California,” said Dinkins. “While I was there I was attached to the maintenance department, but due to some health issues caused by the fuel fumes, it was decided that it was better for me to be moved from the maintenance shop. So, I was sent to Security where I decided that I wanted to become a Master-at-Arms.”
Originally established in 1797, the Master-at-Arms rate is one of the original eleven rates, six of which still exist to this day. MAs are responsible for law enforcement and force protection both onboard ships and on shore installations.
“Master-at-Arms are vital to the Navy because we are the first line of defense when entering Naval installations,” said Dinkins. “MAs are spread throughout ship commands, stateside, and overseas installations. The duties range from maintaining good order and discipline to deterring, detecting, and defending personnel and assets.”
Back in 1908, America began being referred to as the “Melting Pot,” due to the fusion of cultures and nationalities that became prevalent in the country. Nowadays many service members put that title on the military and according to Dinkins, is the best part of being in the military.
“My favorite part of being in the Navy is meeting people from different backgrounds and upbringings,” said Dinkins. “I’ve always been curious about different cultures. To know about the different lifestyles, is a huge eyeopener and is fascinating to see.”
Dewey recently shifted homeports from San Diego to Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka and Dinkins is fully embracing the learning opportunity being in a foreign country gives him.
“I’ve only been in Japan for a short time,” said Dinkins. “It’s been a huge cultural change for me and I’m approaching it as a learning experience. One of my goals when I joined the Navy was to explore everywhere I go. I’m going to explore and learn as much as I can before it’s time to move to my next duty station.”
Dinkins is a relatively new arrival to the Dewey, having arrived a few months ago, but he was able to quickly pinpoint what he thinks the best part of the command is.
“The best part of this command is the comradery,” said Dinkins. “When you’re out on missions, we’re all that we have. We are away from our families, so we do our best to take care of each other. We are always checking on our fellow Sailors to make sure they are ok, making sure they have everything they need, and we’re always open to learning from each other. We become a second family to each other.”
For some Sailors, being away from their family can be one of the biggest challenges of serving in the military and having support from their family can make the burden of being away a little lighter.
“My family loves that I’m in the Navy, especially my mom,” said Dinkins. “Going home and seeing her wearing her Navy keychain around her neck, seeing my Navy pictures hanging in the house and her talking about me being in the service to other people lets me know she is proud of me. My brothers and sisters are always telling me they are proud of me. Whenever I go on leave, it’s nothing but love and laughter and almost as if I never left. My kids understand that daddy is working and accept it. Most of the time, at least.”
Dewey is forward-deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet is the largest forward-deployed fleet and routinely operates and interacts with 35 maritime nations while conducting missions to preserve and protect critical regional partnerships.
| Date Taken: | 06.11.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 06.28.2022 20:41 |
| Story ID: | 423569 |
| Location: | YOKOSUKA, KANAGAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 32 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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